Words by Smiley Team
A seven-year-old who is passionate about looking after our planet takes it upon himself to clear up the mess left behind by others.
George Goode, from Norwich, is often seen out in his local area collecting litter from the streets and green areas. His friend Ryan, who owns The Sunset Cafe in Norwich, gave him a litter picking stick, and it was this that started George off on his journey.
He started litter picking in the autumn of 2020 – and now does it most days. “I always see so much litter when I’m out walking my dog and it upsets me,” he says. “I don’t understand why people don’t put their rubbish in the bin and it’s sad that animals can get tangled in the rubbish.
“It’s important to keep the streets and green areas clean as they are for everyone to use. It’s not nice seeing rubbish everywhere. I want to make sure animals don’t get caught in the rubbish or think that it is food.”
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George says people will stop to talk to him now, meaning he’s managed to meet more people in his local area. “I like to chat, so it’s nice,” he says. When he sees these people out and about, he tells them what he’s doing and how important he feels it is to collect litter.
And, if he doesn’t have a stick in his bag, he’ll try to pick things up and find a bin.
Now, he’s taking his good deeds one step further by raising money for a small micro sanctuary close to his heart: The Goode Life UK. The charity helps elderly and disabled animals, as well as assisting in the rehoming of needy and disabled cats from around the world.
The young animal lover is keen to not only raise money but also awareness of the plight of overlooked animals and hopes that he can do this by his litter picking challenge.
“As people often stop to speak to me while I’m litter picking, I thought it was a good opportunity to get sponsorship to help the animals,” he says. “As a vegan I think helping animals is a wonderful thing to do but so is keeping our planet clean. The two go hand in hand.”
To find out how you can sponsor George, follow him on Instagram @georgegoodelife.
